ACL compiles a daily media monitoring service of stories of interest to the Christian constituency relating to children, family, drugs and alcohol, marriage, human rights, religious freedom etc. Visit the ACL’s website each day to see what’s of interest in the news. Please note that selection of the articles does not represent ACL endorsement of the content.

On first hearing, it sounds like something out of science fiction: mapping the genome of a person who has not been born yet. But that's exactly what geneticists at the University of Washington announced that they were able to do. Their accomplishment has been called a "glance into the future." But the question is: What kind of future?

A female doctor who started an "intimate relationship" with a patient two months after the man's terminally ill wife died has been ordered to relearn medical ethics. Dr Anne Amigo, a GP from Woollahra in Sydney's east, was found guilty of professional misconduct after a Health Care Complaints Commission investigation.

Australians have been accused of being a bunch of Scrooges, with our tax returns suggesting a paltry number make donations to charity. Just one in three Australians claimed a deduction in their tax for donating to charity last financial year, taxation data reveals. While acknowledging thousands of Aussies would make small donations and not bother claiming, philanthropists said that as a society we still fell short of the international standard.

Internet porn, sexting and explicit webcam sessions are increasingly putting young people in danger, not just from strangers but their own peers, a report suggests. Parents and schools are struggling to cope with the ever-changing advances in technology and social networking and the effect they have on young people's behaviour, it warns. Recent research suggests as many as one in three children aged ten has seen pornography on the web and 80 per cent of children in their mid teens admit regularly viewing explicit images and videos.

A few weeks ago, cultural critic Anita Sarkeesian set up a Kickstarter campaign, seeking crowdfunding to produce her series about gender roles and sexism in gaming, Tropes vs. Women In Video Games. Sarkeesian’s campaign began to receive donation pledges, but then all hell broke loose: the bro dudes got wind of her campaign and set about doing all they could to burn it to the ground. In this New Statesman piece on the whole sorry affair, she recalls the explosion of blood-curdling misogyny.

Former AFL star Ben Cousins has been fined a total of $800 for drug possession. The 33-year-old pleaded guilty to three charges after one of the charges was downgraded from intent to sell or supply methamphetamine to simple possession. Cousins was fined $500 plus $66 costs for possession of 4.56 grams methamphetamine.

The British Medical Association (BMA) has today rejected a proposed motion which would have changed its position on assisted suicide from ‘opposed’ to ‘neutral’. In addition, the BMA has also passed a motion calling for women who are considering an abortion to be provided with independent counselling.

Fairfax Media reported on Wednesday that Mr Packer, who is chairman of casinos operator Crown Ltd, and Lawrence Ho, who is co-chairman of Hong Kong-listed Melco Crown Entertainment, had entered a joint venture with Filipino retail and property tycoon Henry Sy, Jr. to build a $1 billion-plus casino and resort in Manila.

Victoria's Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission has been left without a functioning board, after most members walked off the job when their nomination for the top job was vetoed by the Attorney-General. Five of the Commission's six board members have now quit. Two resigned earlier this month due to work commitments, but three handed in immediate notice overnight after their choice for their new Commissioner was overturned by the Attorney-General Robert Clark.

I am amazed at the massive influence that the Christian-Right continues to have within the Liberal National Party of Queensland. It was always self-evident that the party is inherently socially conservative, even with a leader who can generously be described as a "moderate." This is a legitimate worldview-not one with which I agree, but one that is held by the LNP. But the speed and apparent enthusiasm with which the LNP has gone after LGBTI rights since winning Government in March has been completely shocking. I didn't expect Qld to be the progressive place that it was under the former government; but this level of anti-gay sentiment so early is a troubling sign, and not one that many saw coming.

HINT: It's a he. Another hint: He likes biscuits. And sauce. Final hint: He often refers to himself by his nickname. Since we're just giving this away, let's end the charade. It's Kevin Rudd. The former prime minister is Australia's most trusted politician, according to a poll by the Reader's Digest.

Release International is calling on Foreign Secretary William Hague to keep human and religious rights at the forefront of any talks with Egyptian and Syrian authorities. Christians in Egypt fear increased persecution following the popular vote for an Islamist President-elect, while Christians in Syria have been subject to attack, kidnap and murder as the conflict in that country continues. While Release welcomes assurances from Egypt that religious freedom will be safeguarded following the election success of the Muslim Brotherhood, Release is calling for further action to make sure that Christian minorities in Egypt and Syria are protected.

The Federal Parliament is stuck in an entrenched state of paralysis over asylum seeker policy after hours of emergency debate prompted by another tragedy at sea failed to bring the government and the opposition together on offshore processing. Despite the House of Representatives passing a compromise bill last night to allow the processing of refugees in Malaysia and Nauru for up to 12 months, the bill will fail in the upper house.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has warned the Senate it would an act of destruction not to pass laws removing the legal uncertainty over offshore processing of asylum seekers. The laws passed the lower house of federal parliament on Wednesday night after an emotional debate that lasted almost six hours and a last-minute amendment from an independent MP.

The Greens today stand as the last hurdle to a solution to the asylum seeker crisis after a bill allowing the government's Malaysia people swap deal finally passed the lower house last night. But the minor party has vowed to block any move to re-introduce offshore processing, almost ensuring that chaos continues on the high seas as politicians retire for a two-month break tonight. Amid dramatic scenes in parliament, the Coalition accused the government of a "24-hour pyrrhic victory" knowing that the bill would not pass the senate.